Raging Torrents
by SupernaturalGeek
Summary: Dean and Sam battle the elements as they hunt a vengeful spirit.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: So my internet is finally back! Which means I can post what I've been working on to pass the time without it... It's going to be a long one, but hopefully worth the wait... Enjoy:) _

A flash of lightening lit up the sky again and Dean cursed as he went blind for a second. He was already driving as slow as humanly possible - any slower and they'd be going backwards. As it was the torrential rain made it virtually impossible to see out of the windscreen, despite Dean's careful driving.

He was leaning forward, practically with his nose on the glass, in an effort to see the road. His neck and shoulders ached from the tension of being in such an uncomfortable position and he was getting a headache from concentrating so hard.

All in all, he was not having a good day.

"Where the hell is the damn turn off?" he demanded and Sam glanced down at the map that was open in his lap.

"It should be on the right any second now." he said.

Dean glared at the rain, glancing briefly at his brother.

"You've been saying that for the last 10 minutes, Sam." he said and Sam refrained from commenting, knowing Dean's nerves were already stretched given the horrendous driving conditions.

He was pretty tense himself if he was honest. It was scary being in a car in this weather, even with someone as good as Dean driving. The rain had started a few hours earlier as they'd hit the state boundary and they'd been hoping to reach the cabin before it got too bad.

Unfortunately it looked like the Winchester luck was working as well as ever.

Sam was about to suggest they just find somewhere to pull in and wait for it to clear a little when he spotted the turn they were looking for.

"There!" he shouted and the Impala swerved as Dean jumped.

"Jesus Sam! Are you trying to kill us?" he said, even as he swung the wheel forcefully to the right.

The car slid slightly as Dean braked hard so as not to overshoot the entrance to the track, but he controlled it with practised ease and seconds later they were heading down the single track road.

Sam peeled himself off the door and rubbed his shoulder as he glared a little at his brother.

"I didn't think you'd wanna try and do a U-turn in this weather. There was no need to take it like you're trying out for the Dukes of Hazzard though."

Dean snorted. "Please – my baby could kick the General Lee's ass any day. And that was a perfectly controlled manoeuvre I'll have you know."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Oh sure, that's why I've now got the imprint of the door on my shoulder."

"Well if you'd given me more notice than 'hey, turn now!' I wouldn't have had to take it so hard!"

Sam took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. This was getting them nowhere. Better to just let it go and try and maintain the peace until they got settled in the cabin. Hours spent in the car and now the weather from hell wasn't conducive to brotherly relations right now and starting a fight wouldn't exactly improve the evening.

Dean too forced himself to calm down a little. Just because they hadn't exactly had the best journey was no need to take it out on Sam. He glanced across at him and when Sam looked up and caught his eye Dean gave a slight smile, which his brother returned a moment later.

Non verbal apologies taken care of, Dean went back to concentrating on the road ahead. Now they had thick tree cover on either side it was easier to see, as the trees blocked the rain a little. The track was mostly dirt but it was passable and Dean was grateful that for once he wasn't negotiating huge potholes.

"How far is the cabin?" he said and Sam measured the distance on the map with his fingers.

"Should be able to see it in about 5 minutes or so." he said.

Sure enough 7 minutes later the place came into view. The track actually ended outside the cabin and Dean pulled the Impala round till she was parked in front of it, side on. They both stayed in the car for a second, peering out at the building.

It looked pretty much like every other cabin they'd ever come across, with a wooden porch running the entire length of it and two windows either side of the main door. It was pitch black except for the light from the Impala's headlamps and Sam reached into the glove box and grabbed both flashlights. Handing one to Dean, Sam zipped up his jacket and turned up the collar before bracing himself as he opened the door.

They sprinted up the steps and although it took only a matter of seconds they were still drenched by the time they reached the front door. Dean shook his head, spraying Sam with yet more water, and Sam elbowed him.

"Hey! Knock it off with the Lassie impersonation!"

Dean just smirked at him and shone his flashlight at the door. He turned the handle and was surprised when it just opened. Glancing at Sam, who nodded to show he was ready, he pushed it open further and stepped in cautiously.

There was a light switch next to the door and deciding to see if someone was on their side for once, Dean flicked it on. For a moment nothing happened, then there was a loud rumbling/grinding noise that was presumably the generator and the room lit up. Flashing a pleased grin at Sam, Dean turned off the flashlight and looked round the room.

There was a huge fireplace against one wall, that held the charred remains of a previous fire, a couch that faced it and at one end there was a large wooden table and four chairs. The room smelt damp and musty but Dean guessed that was because it had been so long since anyone lived there. There were pictures on the walls and brightly coloured rugs on the floor, and the whole effect was one of a comfortable, lived in, home.

Moving through to the next room Dean turned the light on in there too. It was a medium sized kitchen, with wooden cupboards and an old fashioned sink. Again, it looked as if someone had left in a hurry. There were still plates stacked next to the sink to drain and a mug on the side that had Dean grimacing when he glanced inside.

"I'd keep away from that, Sam – I think it's alive."

Sam shook his head and moved into the room opposite, which was the bedroom. It had a double bed, a large wooden wardrobe, and a dressing table that sat in front of the window. Through another door leading off from that room there was the bathroom, which was small but just big enough for a free standing bath in the middle and a toilet to one side.

Dean had wandered back into the main room and when Sam came back out he saw his brother was holding a photograph he'd picked up from the mantle. He looked up as Sam came over and handed it to him.

"They look like a nice couple," he said and Sam glanced down.

Two smiling people stared back at him. The woman looked like she was in her thirties and was dressed in jeans and a green jumper. Her short hair was copper coloured and she had green eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the photograph. The man was about the same age with brown hair that sat in tight curls against his head. He was dressed casually as well, in jeans and a dark blue shirt, and he had his arms round the woman holding her tightly. The cabin was visible in the background behind them and they both looked completely happy.

Sam sighed as he handed it back to Dean. He hated when they came across the 'before' stuff in their line of work. It made it even harder when you could see how happy people were before their lives were destroyed.

It was also of course painfully familiar.

Dean frowned at him and Sam gave a half smile to show he was ok. Dean didn't look entirely convinced but let it go. He knew his brother had a tendency to get drawn in to the personal aspect of a job, whereas he tried to keep more detached.

Not that that always worked.

Walking back over to the door he peered out at the rain which was still falling heavily. He shivered as the wind blew and glancing to the left he spotted a pile of logs at the end of the porch. He walked over and felt one of them. It was damp but would probably light.

Well, given enough lighter fluid, which they happened to have an abundance of.

"Hey, Sam – bring in some of these logs would you? I'm gonna grab the bags."

He didn't wait for Sam to answer, ducking his head down into his raised collar as he made a run for the car. By the time he got back to the top of the steps, now completely soaked and muttering under his breath, Sam was clearing out the fireplace and stacking the logs he'd carried in.

Dean shoved the door shut with his foot and dropped the bags, and the shopping they'd bought in the last town, on the floor. Shrugging out of his jacket he put it on the back of one of the chairs to dry. He ran his hands through his hair, shaking excess water all over the rug he was standing on.

"You look like a drowned rat." said Sam with a grin as he went to one of the bags to look for the lighter fluid.

Dean shot him a look and threw his hands up in the air.

"Where the hell does that saying come from anyway? You ever seen a drowned rat? Cos I never have. It's not exactly a common sight."

Sam rolled his eyes.

"It's a saying, Dean."

"Yeah, well it's a stupid saying. And since you find it so funny, next time you can go and get the stuff from the car."

Taking pity on his brother Sam reached back into the bag and grabbed a towel, throwing it across the room.

With expert reflexes Dean caught it, and began to dry himself.

A few minutes later Sam had the fire going and the place was already beginning to warm up.

Dean stood in front of the flames, his clothes literally steaming. Sam had taken off his own wet jacket and came over to stand next to him.

"You're sure there won't be anyone coming to check on the place?" said Sam, frowning a little and Dean shook his head.

"It look like anyone has been here for years? I told you, they had no family and the cabin went to a distant cousin who lives in Australia. Or New Zealand. One of those. They never even came to claim it from what the records said. The nearest neighbour is about twenty miles away and we're not exactly gonna get spotted from the road. Relax, Sam – it'll be fine."

Sam winced. "Do you have to say that? Every time you say that, something goes wrong. Are you not getting the hint, Dean? Quit tempting fate."

Dean grinned. "You worry way too much, Sam. You're gonna have an ulcer by the time you're thirty."

Sam muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I will with you for a brother' but when Dean's gaze narrowed he just looked innocent and went to get the food they'd brought with them out of the slightly soggy paper bag.

The hot water was clearly run from the generator as well and Sam was surprised to see it run clear when he turned the tap. He washed a couple of mugs, plates and cutlery, and took out the loaf of bread and fresh ham they'd bought at the store. They'd had a proper meal at the Diner there, not even knowing if the cabin would still have electricity, so he quickly made some sandwiches and found a kettle to boil some water for coffee.

Dean was sat on the couch, flicking through some print outs, when Sam came back in.

"Thanks." he said, taking the proffered plate and mug.

They ate in silence, the only noise the crackle of the logs as they burnt and the howl of the wind through the trees outside.

It was weird, thought Sam, to think that they were the first people to sit there since the previous owner's abrupt departure. It was kind of creepy.

"So what's the plan?" he said, feeling the need to break the oppressive silence.

Dean shrugged. "See if we get any action in here, and if not go down to the river when it's light. Hopefully this damn rain will let up at some point." he said.

"Were all the sightings from the river?" said Sam and Dean nodded.

"All the ones I found, yeah. There were four people who saw her and lived to tell the tale. The six guys who drowned were all either going up the river alone and stopped at the mooring or came across this place after walking through the woods. There's a path that runs along the river at the back."

Sam frowned. "So that's ten people who've encountered the spirit over the last two years. When did that last guy die?"

Dean glanced down at the papers. "Uh, two months ago. It was only in the paper last week because his boat finally showed up down river. It was intact, which is why they still can't explain how he ended up in the water."

"Unless he was pulled in." finished Sam and Dean grinned.

"Yatzi."

"Surely there must have been more than just ten people who passed this place in all that time though? Why did the spirit pick on those guys?"

"Well, they all seem to follow the pattern of having brown, curly hair and having the same build as the husband. Could be the spirit's recreating what happened that night."

Sam sipped his coffee as he thought about what they'd found out about the couple whose home they were currently sitting in.

Rob and Jenna Copper had been married five years when they bought the remote cabin and decided to leave city life behind and live there. He'd been a web designer and able to work from home, and Jenna had been a nurse who got a transfer to the nearest hospital, which was 20 miles away.

By all accounts they'd been happy there for the first year until Jenna had a car accident on her way home one night. She'd been unconscious for a week and when she woke up her personality had changed overnight. She'd gone from being a lively, bubbly, independent woman to a weeping, clinging, irrational wreck. According to police reports from their friends who'd been interviewed, she'd refused to leave the cabin afterwards. She'd quit her job and become a virtual recluse, insisting Rob spend all his time with her as well. He'd struggled enormously but he loved his wife and wouldn't even consider sending her away for help.

It had been a fatal mistake.

One night a storm had been raging for days, similar to the one that battered the cabin now. Frustrated with Jenna's accusations that he'd been having an affair – a ridiculous notion since she never allowed him to leave her sight – Rob had finally snapped. He'd told her he was leaving, that he couldn't take it anymore. The roads had been flooded so he'd grabbed some things and made for the boat they kept moored down on the river.

Jenna had followed him and from what the police could piece together, they'd fought by the waters edge. Something in Jenna had obviously finally snapped and with the river so high from the rain she'd managed to hold Rob's head underneath the water, drowning him.

Realising what she'd done, Jenna had made her way back to the cabin. She'd scrawled a note confessing to her crime and saying she couldn't live without her husband. Then she'd disappeared.

The police had searched the entire area but no trace was ever found. Her bank account and credit cards remained untouched and there wasn't even one sighting of her anywhere. Eventually the police concluded that she'd either killed herself in some remote spot or she'd been swept away by the river. Later that night it had burst its banks and swept through the town where Jenna had used to work as a nurse. It was only because they were checking on people that the Sheriff had made the grim discovery of Rob's body the following day.

"They look like they were so happy before the accident. It doesn't seem possible one blow to the head could make a person change so much." said Sam sadly.

"The brain's a complicated thing, Sam. You hit it hard enough someone's whole personality can change. I guess I'd better keep an eye on you, come to mention it. I mean you've certainly had your share of hits."

"Hilarious. I could say the same for you, you know. Although there does have to be a brain there in the first place to be damaged."

He easily dodged the cushion that came his way, ignoring Dean's glare and taking his plate and mug back into the kitchen.

Rinsing them at the sink, he peered out of the window but it was too dark to see anything. If he strained his hearing he could just about make out the roar of the river but they wouldn't be getting their first look at it till morning, that much was clear.

When he went back into the other room, Dean was sprawled on the couch with his eyes closed.

"Dean?"

There was no response and when Sam went over he saw his brother was asleep. He debated waking him, but the drive had been stressful and tiring and clearly Dean was exhausted.

Going into the bedroom he came back with a pillow and blanket. Carefully he lifted his brother's head and slid the pillow underneath, then covered him with the blanket. Picking up the papers that had slid onto the floor, he put them on the table. Smiling slightly as Dean shifted and pulled the blanket further over his head, Sam switched out the light. There was still a glow from the fire and he put another log on, to make sure it didn't go out too soon.

With a final check on his brother, Sam made his way to the bedroom. He was pretty tired himself so he simply kicked off his boots and lay on top of the covers. The idea of getting in the bed when someone else had slept there – even if it had been two years ago – was not a pleasant one. He did pull the other blanket over himself though and decided he'd be warm enough till morning.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the wind in the trees until he drifted off.

If either of them had been awake of course, they might have noticed a brief glimpse of a woman's pale face against the front window.


	2. Chapter 2

When Dean woke for a moment he wasn't sure where he was - an occupational hazard given their lifestyle.

The room was dark, except for the glow coming from the remains of the fire in the fireplace. A quick glance around reminded him where they were. He looked down and saw he was covered with a blanket and had a pillow under his head, which he certainly didn't remember being there when he fell asleep.

_Sam._

He shook his head, partly planning on slapping his brother for 'tucking him in' and partly touched by the gesture.

Not that he would be telling him that second bit.

He glanced at his watch and saw it was only 7:00, which explained why it was still dark. Feeling pretty awake nonetheless – most likely due to how early he'd fallen asleep the previous night – he decided he might as well get up.

Pushing off the blanket he stood up and went over to the fireplace. Throwing a few more logs on to get it going again he rubbed his arms, now slightly cold in the pre dawn chill. He went through to the back of the cabin and pushed open the door to the bedroom. Sam lay sprawled on his back, still fast asleep, and Dean couldn't help the smile that came. His brother still slept the same as he had when they were kids, and it always reminded him of all the time spent sharing rooms over the years.

It was reassuring.

In a totally non girly way of course.

Satisfied that Sam was fine, Dean headed for the bathroom next. One hot bath, since there was no shower, later he was back in the living room and pleased to see the fire was burning fiercely again. He made some coffee and was just looking out the window at the colours in the sky when he heard a noise. Turning round he saw Sam come into the room, rubbing his face and yawning.

"Morning, sunshine." said Dean cheerily and Sam looked at him accusingly.

"Why are you so cheerful this morning? Come to think of it, why are you up first?"

Dean shrugged. "Must be the country air. There's coffee in the kitchen."

Sam's eyes lit up and he mumbled thanks as he headed for the kitchen. Dean grinned and shook his head, enjoying being the one awake and alert at this time of the morning for a change.

Sam came back a few minutes later, sipping appreciatively from his mug. He wandered over to the window and stopped next to Dean, leaning against the wall as he looked at the view.

"So did you sleep ok?" he asked and Dean nodded.

"Yeah, really well. You?"

"Yeah, I did actually. Guess that journey yesterday must have taken it out of both of us. I take it you didn't see or hear anything unusual in the night by the way?"

"Nope, not a thing. Maybe we should try doing something to annoy her – you know, leave wet towels on the floor or whatever else it is drives chicks nuts."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah, cos that always goes _so _well, pissing off the spirit we're hunting. How about we not go for Suicidal Plan A this time and try and come up with something that doesn't involve you giving me a heart attack?"

Dean looked indignant. "My plans are not suicidal, thank you very much. You just always have to overreact about everything."

Sam wondered why he bothered sometimes. He really did.

Finishing the last of his coffee he went for his own bath. When he came out, Dean was on the laptop. He looked up as Sam came in.

"So I think we should go into town, check out some of their friends. See if there was a favourite place they used to hang out or something. Could be that's where Jenna went to kill herself. Wherever she is must be pretty out of the way or really well hidden, otherwise they would have found the body when they were looking for her right after."

"True. But then could be she's somewhere has nothing to do with any of their special places. The cops must have spoken to their friends as well at the time."

Dean smirked. "Yeah, but we both know how clueless the cops can be, Sammy."

Sam really didn't want to get into another debate on law enforcement, so he stayed silent.

It took a little under half an hour to drive into town. Dean volunteered to check out the hospital where Jenna had worked – not in any way to hit on the nurses, despite Sam's sceptical look – while Sam went to speak to the Sheriff. Sam was glad in a way Dean was so keen to take the hospital, since it avoided the whole argument about him keeping quiet while they talked to the cops. Dean never really did well with that and Sam had pulled muscles from holding the 'I'm so sorry, there's really nothing I can do about him' facial expression on previous occasions.

The Sheriff was actually quite helpful and was more than happy to talk to the 'green' reporter working on his first real story. He'd met Rob and Jenna when they'd first moved into the area and he'd been there the night of the accident as well. As he described the stretch of road where it happened and idea occurred to Sam and it was all he could do to carry on listening politely until he could get a word in edgeways and make his excuses.

He was already dialling Dean's number as he jogged down the steps outside the Sheriff's office. His brother answered after three rings.

"I think I might know where she is. Meet me beside the clock tower ok?"

A few minutes later Sam saw the Impala round the corner. Dean looked at him expectantly as he got in.

"Well?" he said and Sam grinned slightly, amused by Dean's lack of patience.

"How did you get on?" he said and Dean waved a hand dismissively.

"Nothing much – she was a lovely person, complete shock, yadda, yadda. Oh, and five phone numbers." he added with a satisfied smirk.

Sam shook his head.

"Well, my conversation was actually more productive. And before you say it, getting hot nurse's phone numbers is not productive, Dean."

Dean looked appalled. "What the hell did they teach you at that college, Sam? I'm disappointed, dude."

"_ANYWAY -_ like I was saying, the Sheriff said something that gave me an idea. The stretch of road Jenna had the accident on? It's pretty out of the way. In fact they think she was most likely trapped in the wreckage for at least a couple of hours before a car came past and noticed the broken fence. Where the car landed is down a gully so it definitely fits the description of well hidden. Plus no one would think of looking for Jenna there, it wasn't exactly a happy place."

"But it was where the whole thing started to go wrong." said Dean. "Well, I guess it makes sense. Not bad, Sammy."

As they drove towards the stretch of road they were looking for, Sam noticed the sky had darkened again. It wasn't long before huge raindrops began to hit the windshield. Ten minutes later the rain was so heavy it was almost impossible to see, even with the wipers on full.

"Not again." muttered Dean and Sam squinted as he looked out of the side window.

"We're not gonna be able to see a thing in this, Dean. And if we try and climb down the gully we'll probably end up in the middle of a mudslide. Maybe we should wait till it clears?"

Dean stared at the clouds mutinously but they showed no sign of taking any notice of him. He sighed, not happy about abandoning the search, but he knew Sam was right. Looking for the bones in this weather was just asking for trouble.

"Fine. We'll head back and wait it out." he said with frustration.

Sam was so tense by the time they reached the cabin again it felt like his shoulders were gonna be round his ears permanently. The car had slid on the road - that was more like a river right now - more than once and he was grateful Dean was such a skilled driver.

As they pulled up and Dean switched the engine off he winced, bringing one hand up to rub his neck. Although he may have looked confident driving through the storm, in reality he'd been fighting to control the Impala every step of the way. That was definitely one journey he did _not _want to repeat.

"You ok?"

Sam's concerned voice broke through his thoughts and he glanced at him with a quick smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about we get inside before we end up bumping into Noah."

Sam chuckled and opened the door. Even though they ran they were both still soaked to the skin by the time they got inside. Shivering, Sam put some more logs on the fire and set about trying to light it again while Dean put the coffee on. Twenty minutes later they were both sitting in front of it cradling steaming mugs and appreciating the warmth of the flames.

"So how far away is this gully?" said Dean as he sipped.

Sam shrugged. "About twenty minutes. It's not gonna be easy to get to though, especially with the ground this wet." he said and Dean sighed.

"When is it ever easy? Lets just hope this rain stops otherwise it's gonna be pretty damn hard to get those bones alight."

"You think of the nicest things." said Sam dryly and Dean gave him a 'What?' look.

Shaking his head at Dean's morbid sense of humour, Sam gave a resigned sigh.

He had a feeling this was going to be a long afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was staring out the window at the rain, which was coming down so hard now he could barely see the Impala. He turned round as he heard Sam come out of the bedroom, towelling his hair in a vain attempt to dry it.

"No way this is just a shower. I reckon we're gonna be stuck here for the rest of the day." he said, sounding annoyed.

Sam joined him at the window and glanced out.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Not much we can do about it. We'll just have to look for the accident site first thing tomorrow."

"Which means another night stuck here, wasting our time." muttered Dean.

"Hey, look on the bright side – at least we're warm and dry, and we should have enough food to last us. It could be worse." said Sam, trying to placate him.

Dean looked at him in disbelief. "Oh, there you go! Now you've just jinxed us, Sam, nice work."

Sam shook his head and went back towards the bathroom to hang up his towel.

"I thought you weren't superstitious?" he called.

"I'm not, but with our luck you really want to tempt fate?" Dean called back.

Sam still looked amused as he came back in the living room and Dean gave a half hearted glare as he went over to the fire to add a few more logs.

The next few hours passed slowly. The rain was definitely in for the night and Dean had stopped bothering to look out the window, since every time he did it looked exactly as it had ten minutes before. They'd had to switch all the lights on as the clouds were making it dark early and despite the heat from the fire, there was still a definite chill in the air.

Sam had found some books left in the bedroom and had been engrossed in one of them for the last hour, much to Dean's disgust. He on the other hand had surfed the web for a bit, brought in more logs, made them both some lunch and walked round the whole cabin.

Three times.

He was definitely reaching about a level eight on the boredom scale at this point. He sighed.

Sam glanced up, irritated.

"What?"

"Nothing." said Dean, dropping back down onto the couch at the opposite end from his brother.

Sam put the book down on his lap, looking a little exasperated.

"Could you not just find a book to read or something? Go through Dad's journal even. Keep pacing up and down isn't going to make the rain stop you know."

"Gee, and here was me thinking that was exactly what you were supposed to do to make the sun come out. Thanks for clearing that up for me, Sammy." came the dry retort.

"I'm serious, dude, you are driving me nuts here. It's like sharing a room with a kid with ADHD."

Dean glared at him. "ADH-what? Did you just insult me?"

Sam gritted his teeth.

"Forget it. Just find something to do, please. For both our sakes." he pleaded.

Looking indignant still, Dean got up and went into the kitchen. He emptied the coffee pot and set about making some more, for want of anything better. He was aware adding more caffeine to his system might not be the best idea in the world but it wasn't like there was anything else for him to do.

He stared out of the window, lost in thought, as he waited for the water to boil. He wasn't prepared therefore for the ghostly face that suddenly appeared there, staring at him menacingly through the glass.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed, leaping backwards.

He heard a thud and Sam came running, skidding to a halt in a way that was more than a little amusing.

"What? What's wrong?" he demanded, looking around for the danger.

Dean couldn't resist giving him an amused look, one eyebrow raised.

"Dude, overdramatic much?" he said.

"Dean!"

"Oh fine, keep your hair on! I just saw our friend Jenna at the window - looks like she's come out to play after all."

Sam stepped past him, craning his neck to try and see outside.

"I can't see her now. What was she doing?"

"A song and dance routine. What the hell do you think she was doing, Sam? She's a ghost! She was staring through the window at me, looking pretty pissed. I'd say she's none too thrilled about having house guests." said Dean, ignoring the evil look that came his way.

He went back through to the living room, sitting on the edge of the couch and pulling his boots over. As he started lacing them up Sam stopped in the doorway, frowning at him.

"What are you doing?"

Dean glanced up at him. "Is it your day of the month for asking dumb ass questions? I'm going to see if I can spot her outside of course."

"You can't go out there, Dean, have you seen the weather? It's practically dark now for a start." protested Sam, but Dean carried on lacing up his other boot and reached for his jacket.

"Then it's a good job we have flashlights. You stay here." he said but Sam was already holding up his hands.

"Oh no, you are not going out there on your own. This is still a dumb idea you know." he complained, pulling on his own boots and slipping on his coat.

Dean didn't bother getting into an argument about not needing a babysitter. Sam had that look on his face that told him he'd just be wasting his breath. Instead he waited for his brother to do his coat up, tapping his foot impatiently.

"It's the first time we've seen her, Sam. Maybe she'll show us something we missed." he said as, finally ready, Sam grabbed the two flashlights off the table and handed him one.

"Maybe." said Sam, still not convinced.

Dean opened the door and braced himself for the cold rain. Sure enough he was soaked in seconds and he shivered as the droplets went straight down the back of his coat. It was almost pointless wearing it.

Trying to ignore the discomfort he went down the steps and walked round the side of the house, narrowing his gaze as he tried to see through the rain. He could hear Sam following him, muttering under his breath about the rain and dumb plans, but he concentrated on trying to see any sign of Jenna.

At that moment he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Bringing up his flashlight quickly he aimed the beam in that direction and saw a flash of white.

"I think I see her." he said and took off, not waiting for Sam to respond.

The path ended almost immediately and he found himself pushing through branches and undergrowth, trying not to trip and feeling the wet mud sliding under his boots. From the cursing he could hear behind him he guessed Sam was enjoying the experience about as much as he was.

He could still see a flash of white now and then and he sped up, determined to catch up with Jenna's spirit.

He was straining so hard to try and see her through the rain that it was sheer luck he glanced down and saw, at the last second, that the path came to an abrupt stop at the river's edge.

"Woah!" he said, skidding to a halt. Sam was concentrating on where he was going too and so only saw Dean had stopped when he literally ran into the back of him.

Dean teetered on the edge for a second but Sam's quick reactions saved them from a cold bath and he grabbed the back of Dean's jacket, pulling them both away from the edge.

"Are you ok?" Sam said, raising his voice over the deafening roar of the fast flowing river.

"Yeah. I can't see her anymore, can you?" Dean yelled back and Sam strained his eyes as much as he could before shaking his head.

"No, there's nothing. Come on – we should go back. That river looks pretty high." he said, pulling on Dean's sleeve.

Dean shook him off though and suddenly pointed to the right of where they were standing.

"Look! There she is!"

He took off before Sam could stop him.

"Dean!"

Cursing, Sam followed him, pushing branches out of his way.

He could see Dean ahead of him, saw his brother stop by the wooden jetty and saw suddenly, in the beam from Dean's flashlight, Jenna standing there at the end of it. She turned to face Dean and he heard his brother say something he couldn't quite hear, then out of nowhere there was a roaring noise and to Sam's horror he saw what was literally a wall of water heading towards the jetty.

"Dean!"

Dean turned to face him for just a second, then he spun back round to face the water. He tried scrambling backwards but it was too late. The raging torrent hit the jetty and he was swept along before Sam even had a chance to move.

Sam's stomach felt like it was filled with lead.

"Dean!" he called again, so focused on the spot where his brother had been that he didn't notice the water was quickly heading for his own position.

He realised at the last second and barely had time to take a breath before the freezing cold water hit him and the world went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing that came into Dean's mind when he woke up was that he really hoped someone got the number of the truck. The second thing was that he was upside down.

And that couldn't be good.

Managing to feel around with his right hand he discovered he was draped over something, with his feet dangling one side and his head the other.

Which, now he was awake, wasn't helping his headache any.

He frowned slightly as he tried to work out exactly what it was he was caught on. A quick poke around brought the conclusion that it was most likely a branch, since it felt decidedly bark-like. Of course some light would help clarify things but it seemed like the universe just wasn't in the mood for being helpful today. Holding onto the branch for balance, he carefully shifted so he was more upright.

"Woah. Headrush." he muttered, waiting for the stars to disappear.

Next on the list was finding a way down so he stretched one leg and felt about, hoping for some ground.

If he was at the top of a tree he was so screwed.

He breathed a sigh of relief when his toe hit something and – hoping it really was the ground and not another, lower, branch – he braced himself and let go.

"Ooff!"

Naturally the ground had in fact been further than it seemed, and also on a slope. Just for extra fun. Having rolled a fair distance Dean lay there, blinking against the rain that was now hitting his face.

He was beginning to wonder who he'd pissed off this time.

Never one for self pity, he didn't lay there long. Pushing himself up he did a quick inventory. Nothing felt broken, which was good, although he was going to have about a million bruises. He was however totally soaked and he began to shiver, the rain not really helping.

Sitting there he tried to remember exactly what had happened. Despite the headache it only took a few seconds for it to come back to him, particularly the sound of Sam shouting his name in a total panic, which had been the last thing he'd heard.

"Shit!" he cursed, wondering where Sam was and if he was ok.

Scrambling to his feet, now with an added sense of purpose, he tried to get his bearings. His eyes had actually adjusted to the blackness slightly, although he would still have given pretty much anything for a flashlight right now. He felt around in his pockets and was disappointed, although not surprised, to find them empty. He couldn't remember if he'd actually picked up his cell phone or if it had been lost in the river. Either way it wasn't there, so he was on his own.

Looking round all he could make out where the dark shapes of trees against the equally dark sky. Even if there had been a moon it would have been obscured by the clouds, so he really was in the dark. Literally.

He could hear the roar of the river on his right, which meant if he kept it there and started walking he should be heading towards the cabin. Theoretically anyway. Of course that plan had a few minor flaws, namely that he had no idea how far the water had carried him and also he was assuming the river ran in a straight line all the way between the cabin and here.

Wherever here was.

Deciding that standing around thinking about all the ways this was a bad plan wasn't going to help any, Dean squared his shoulders and set off determinedly in what was – hopefully – the right direction.

Sam was really beginning to wonder why he'd fallen asleep lying under a dripping tap. Opening his eyes he was slightly worried to find he still couldn't see. Just as he was working up to a full blown panic he realised he could in fact just about make out dark shadows here and there, and that the water hitting his face wasn't a dripping tap.

It was rain.

Having come to the realisation that he was, for some reason, lying outside in a storm he tried to work out why he was there. His eyes widened as it came back to him.

"Dean!"

Sam winced as he realised sitting up so fast had been a bad idea. The memory of his brother being swept away by the raging river overruled the many aches and pains vying for attention right now though, and he stumbled to his feet.

"Dean!" he called, turning round and desperately trying to see something in the gloom.

There was no reply and he stood there for a moment, trying to work out what to do next.

Other than freak out completely.

Now he was fully awake he could hear the river on his left hand side. It was still loud enough to tell him it was flowing pretty fast, although he was guessing what they'd both been caught up in had been some sort of flash flood. Which was all very interesting, but didn't help him work out where Dean was.

He'd lost his flashlight when he'd been swept along in the water and feeling around in his pockets he realised he was without his phone either. Thinking back he could see exactly where that was – sitting on the table, next to Dean's.

"Perfect." he sighed.

Turning round he worked out that if he kept the river on his right he should be facing in the direction of the cabin. However he didn't want to go back to the cabin. He wanted to find his brother.

Ignoring the small voice in his head that told him Dean might not have survived such a violent encounter with the water, he started walking.

_A/N – I know that was a little shorter than usual but it seemed like a good point to leave the boys.. Next chapter will be along soon! _


	5. Chapter 5

Dean cursed as he tripped over yet another root.

This whole thing was really starting to get old.

It felt like he'd been walking for hours, although he knew it probably hadn't even been a full 60 minutes yet. He would have checked this by looking at his watch, if it weren't for the fact that a) it was still pitch black and b) he had a funny feeling his watch wouldn't have taken too kindly to his little dip.

He stopped for a second, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. He would have given anything right now for a hot shower and some dry clothes.

Or even just a towel.

He wondered if Sam was out in this looking for him and half hoped he was back at the cabin, safe and dry. However unlikely that was. One thing he was certain about was that when he got back to the cabin he was going to get a lecture about following malevolent spirits and not looking out for rivers about to burst their banks.

Assuming he ever made it back there of course.

Sam meanwhile had decided he was definitely one step away from a full on freak out. He'd been calling Dean's name for so long, and so loudly, his voice was starting to disappear. He was cold, he was wet, and he had a massive headache from his unexpected white water rafting trip.

Minus the boat of course.

But all of that paled in comparison with the awful feeling of not knowing where his brother was or if he was ok.

He kept telling himself that Dean would be fine, that he seemed to have more lives than a cat, but a nagging voice in his head kept helpfully reminding him that everyone's luck had to run out _sometime_.

He was seriously willing the voice to shut the hell up.

He was so busy thinking about worst case scenarios that he wasn't prepared when he tripped over something and landed heavily on his knees.

"Dammit!" he cursed, feeling more bruises flare into life.

Fervently wishing he had a working flashlight on him, Sam got up, rubbed his now aching knees for a moment, and started walking again. This time a little more cautiously.

To pass the time and take his mind off how miserable he felt right now, Dean had resorted to silently playing games in his head. It was something he and Sam had spent hours doing in the car when they were younger, often much to John's despair as the older they got the more competitive they'd become.

The trouble was that most of them required two people, and Dean was starting to feel a little schizophrenic playing both sides.

"That would be just perfect. Spending eternity wandering round this god-forsaken forest talking to myself." Dean muttered under his breath.

Then closed his eyes briefly as he realised he was in fact now talking to himself out loud.

Pleased for the first time that night that there was no one around right now, Dean clamped his mouth firmly shut and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

Sam was still so busy worrying that it took him a few moments to realise he could hear something. Something moving. Coming to an instant stop he strained his ears, trying to see as far as possible in the darkness.

Even though his eyes had gradually grown accustomed to it, he could still only make out vague shapes and the odd shadow. Not all that helpful in the great scheme of things. His hearing however had definitely stepped up to the plate and he could now make out the very clear sounds of something coming his way.

Hunter's instinct kicking in he moved to his left slightly, feeling around until he encountered a tree. Pressing himself up against it he waited silently for whatever it was that was coming.

As he stood there the sounds suddenly grew quieter, as if whatever it was could sense someone was there. Clearly they were either up to no good or planning to ambush him, as they'd slowed down considerably and were now making only the barest of noise. Sam tensed every muscle, leaving it until whatever it was came level with him before lashing out with his right hand.

He felt it connect with something, hard, heard a muffled exclamation that sounded distinctly human, and saw it hit the ground. Even as all this was registering his brain was taking in the voice that had emitted the curse and the slight scent of aftershave he was now picking up, and putting two and two together.

"Dean?"

Sam held his breath, crossing his fingers and pretty much everything else, and praying this really was his brother.

"Sammy?"

The voice sounded apprehensive, and a little bit muffled, but it was the best thing Sam had heard in a long time.

"Thank god! Man, it is good to hear your voice! Are you ok?" said Sam, relief and the post adrenaline rush making his words tumble out one after the other.

There was a brief pause.

"No, I'm not ok. Some idiot just smacked me in the mouth."

Sam's eyes widened as he realised that in his relief at discovering it was Dean he'd just encountered, he'd forgotten he had actually just laid him out on the floor.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't realise it was you!" he said, reaching down with his hand to try and help Dean up.

Dean could hear the relief in Sam's voice and could easily guess how panicked he'd been searching round in the pitch black for him. Truth be told he was more than a little relieved himself to discover Sam was ok, although he could have done without the bloody nose.

Able to make out Sam's hand - just about - he reached up and took it, allowing his brother to help him up.

He should have guessed what was coming but he was still a little unprepared when Sam didn't let go of his hand once he was upright but instead pulled Dean towards him, putting his arms round him and holding on tightly.

"God, I really thought you'd drowned." said Sam finally admitting what had been at the back of his mind since he'd first woken up, his voice cracking slightly.

Dean felt himself blushing, even though it was dark, but he returned the hug deciding that under the circumstances he could let it go this time.

Especially since it was pitch black.

He did however still need to breathe.

"Dude, a little air here?" he wheezed and Sam realised he was squeezing a little hard and released Dean quickly, still keeping his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"Sorry." he said a little sheepishly, unable to stop a foolish grin breaking out and glad Dean couldn't see him to comment on it.

Of course what Sam couldn't see was that Dean was grinning too.

The 'moment' didn't last long though as Dean reached up suddenly, and with perfect accuracy, whacked Sam on the back of the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" demanded Sam, letting go with one hand to rub the now sore spot.

"Smacking me in the face! I think you broke my nose." retorted Dean, wincing as he felt his face for damage and tried to wipe away some of the blood running down his chin.

Sam felt a flash of guilt, his head forgotten instantly, as he tried to see Dean's face despite the lack of light.

"Man, I am so sorry about that. Did I really break it?" he asked anxiously and Dean rolled his eyes as he heard the guilt in Sam's voice. It wasn't exactly like his brother had meant to hit him personally, but naturally he was now going to take it to heart and make a big deal of it.

"Nah, I don't think so. Lucky for me you hit like a girl." he said and Sam looked indignant. Which was of course wasted, since Dean couldn't see him.

"I do not hit like a girl." he said "You're just lucky you're so short that I didn't hit you full on."

That little comment earned him a whack on the shoulder this time but even as he listened to Dean threaten retribution under his breath, he felt himself relax as something slipped back into place. It was funny but even in the direst situation, Sam could feel at ease as long as Dean was there.

And he was so keeping that thought to himself.

"So if you're done with the bonding, I'd like to get out of this rain at some point tonight. Please tell me you know where the cabin is?" said Dean, and Sam hesitated.

"I think it's back this way?" he said and he could feel Dean staring at him.

"You think?"

"Yes, Dean, I think. In case you hadn't noticed it's kinda dark out here and I didn't exactly have any breadcrumbs on me to leave a trail."

Dean bit back a retort, recognising that they were both wet, cold, tired and in his case, bruised.

"Fine. Let's get going then." he said simply and stepped past Sam to start walking.

Sam huffed at the fact Dean had put himself in front, automatically, but like his brother he recognised the situation was ripe for an argument and didn't really want to go down that path right now. He was still busy being relieved he'd found Dean in one piece.

Turning round he quickly hurried after him, not wanting to risk getting separated again.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ok, either we're walking in circles or someone moved the damn cabin."

Sam jumped a little at the frustrated comment. It was funny how has soon as you couldn't actually see someone every time they spoke it was startling.

"We should reach it soon, Dean." he said, not wanting to really spend the rest of the trip listening to one of his brother's rants.

"You can stop with the 'talking-to-a-five-year-old' tone of voice, Sam. It's pitch black, it's still raining – in case you hadn't noticed – and we have no idea if we're even going the right way! Exactly what are the good parts about that you think I'm missing?"

"How about the part where you're still alive after getting caught up in a flash flood?" came the pointed reply and Dean winced.

He could still hear the remnants of Sam's fear in his voice and he took a deep breath, trying to remind himself that Sam was right about him being lucky in that respect.

"Ok, fine – I was lucky. I get it, ok? But that's not gonna do much good if we get stuck out here till morning. I'll probably end up dying of pneumonia instead." he grumbled and Sam whacked him on the arm, none too gently.

"So not funny, Dean."

"Would you please quit hitting me? I got enough bruises for one night, thank you." said Dean indignantly and Sam frowned.

"That's a good point – you never did tell me if you were hurt anywhere." he said and Dean silently cursed himself for reminding his brother he'd been bounced around in the water.

"Yeah, well, you were too busy getting all girly if you remember. And I'm fine, before you start." he said firmly.

"Did you get knocked out?" said Sam, ignoring the fully expected 'I'm fine' comment.

Dean sighed.

"I don't think so." he said and he could feel Sam's gaze boring a hole in the back of his head.

"And you can quit glaring cos I can't see you, Francis." he added and was rewarded with Sam-Sigh-Number 6.

The one his brother saved for when he was sure Dean was hurt and was being economical with the truth.

Knowing there was little he could do till they got to the cabin anyway, Sam let it drop. Of course the fact he hadn't yet mentioned to Dean that he'd also been swept along a good distance by the river and had been unconscious briefly had nothing to do with it.

Dean frowned suddenly as he thought about something he'd forgotten to ask in his relief at discovering Sam was alright.

"What about you anyway? What exactly happened after I took my little mystery tour?"

Sam swallowed, glad it was dark.

"Not much. I was just busy trying to find you, that's all." he said, forcing his voice to remain casual.

"What happened to your flashlight?"

"I dropped it. It must have rolled into the water."

Dean was about to ask something else when he noticed something.

"Hey, can you see that up there?" he said suddenly, stopping and squinting at a slight glow he could just about make out ahead of them.

Sam leaned forward, narrowing his gaze as much as possible.

"I think so. Could be the lights in the cabin."

"Yeah, or it could be something that's gonna try and kill us."

Sam shook his head.

"You really are such a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" he said dryly, nevertheless preparing himself just in case Dean was right.

"I'm just going by experience, Sammy, that's all. Besides, expecting the worst saves time."

Not even dignifying that with an answer, Sam crossed his fingers and hoped that it really was the cabin. He was starting to feel like he'd never be warm again, and walking this close to his brother it hadn't escaped his notice that Dean kept shivering every 5 minutes.

Dean quickened his pace but also made an effort to move more silently, just in case. He wasn't exactly feeling up for a fight right now if it turned out not to be the cabin they were about to come across.

As it was their luck seemed to have turned a corner for the night and Dean let out a huge sigh of relief as they came to the edge of the trees and the cabin came into view.

"Thank god." he said fervently and he heard Sam agree.

They walked towards the steps and Sam was almost at the top before he realised Dean wasn't next to him. Turning round quickly he saw his brother walking round the Impala, one hand resting on her paintwork.

"What the hell are you doing, Dean?"

Dean glanced up at him.

"Just making sure she's ok. Wasn't sure if the river made it this far up." he said and Sam stared at him in disbelief.

"Would you get your ass up here out of the rain, you idiot – it's a damn car, Dean!" said Sam through gritted teeth.

Dean straightened up and looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Get my ass up there? Who died and put you in charge, Sammy? And for the record, you know she's more than just a car."

Sam looked like he was one step away from dragging Dean up the steps himself. He really was operating on the last of his nerves now and his idiot brother putting the car's 'health' above his own was not helping his blood pressure any.

"Dean, I am not kidding." he said and Dean heard the warning note in Sam's voice and gave in, grumbling under his breath as he made his way up the steps. Sam watched with a glare as Dean passed him and went inside, still one step away from a blow out of monumental proportions.

The fire was still burning, although it was getting low, and the first thing Dean did was throw a few more logs on, watching with satisfaction as it flared up again. The shivering was actually getting worse now he was inside and he could feel Sam's concerned gaze without even looking round.

Sam shut the door firmly behind them and kicked off his muddy boots before heading straight for the bathroom. He turned the taps on as high as they could go, putting his hand under the water and waiting until he felt it start to get hot.

Grabbing two towels he went back to the living room and threw one to Dean, who was still standing in front of the fire.

"Thanks." said Dean, wincing as his teeth chattered and made Sam frown even more.

"The hot water's running. Should be full in a few minutes. You need to get out of those clothes now though." said Sam and Dean looked at him as he rubbed the towel over his face.

"Dude, I'm not a child – I can take care of myself you know. And you're just as wet as I am." he pointed out and Sam looked exasperated.

"Gee, I hadn't noticed! And do you really want to play the 'I can take care of myself' card right now?" he said with exaggerated calmness.

Deciding that provoking his brother clearly wasn't the smartest move at this point, Dean gave in with bad grace and headed for the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him – admittedly with a little more force than was strictly necessary – he stripped off his sodden clothing, grimacing as some of it pulled against skin that had obviously been scraped against rocks or other debris in the river.

The bath was almost full and he stepped into it slowly, hissing as freezing cold skin came into contact with hot water. He wasn't even sure if you were supposed to do that, but he didn't care. Right now he just wanted to be warm again.

Taking a deep breath he lowered himself in fully and swore a couple of times as his skin tingled painfully. After a few minutes it adjusted and he sank down so the water was up to his neck, letting out a happy sigh.

He was concious of the fact Sam was still out there and also freezing, so as soon as he'd finally warmed up he quickly washed and got out. Rinsing the bath round he set about filling it up again, hoping there was enough hot water left, and dried himself off. Wrapping a towel round his waist he opened the door and went to look for some dry clothes.

Sam was standing about five inches from the fire, minus his jacket and shirt but still wearing his tee shirt and jeans. He was quite literally steaming as he stood there.

He glanced up as Dean came in and frowned as he saw the bruises and abrasions that were already starting to appear on his brother's chest and back.

"Hey, the bath should be full any second now so it's your turn, Sam." Dean said, grabbing his bag and rummaging around for clean clothes. He was concentrating on that so intently that he jumped when he felt Sam's hand on his shoulder suddenly.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing?" he said, pulling away and giving Sam an indignant look.

"I want to check on those bruises." said Sam and Dean shook his head.

"Yeah? Well do me a favour and check without poking them, would you? They're kinda sore funnily enough. Anyway they're just bruises and you're supposed to be in there warming up" he said pointedly, gesturing to the bathroom with one hand.

Sam looked at him stubbornly for a moment but then recognised Dean had no intention of giving ground on this one so he grudgingly headed for the bathroom.

"Don't think I'm just gonna forget about this while I'm in there." he warned "When I'm done I'm checking you out."

Dean stared at him in horror.

"Dude, that sentence is just wrong on so many levels!"

"I don't know why I bother." muttered Sam, walking into the steam filled bathroom and shutting the door on his brother.

Twenty minutes later Sam was once again feeling less like a human popsicle and when he came out, he saw Dean had made them some grilled cheese sandwiches.

"You should eat that before it gets cold." Dean said, glancing up from an old paper he was reading as Sam came into the living room.

Sam grimaced and wondered just when his brother would remember that speaking and chewing were not two things that went together.

"Thanks." he said, sitting down at the table opposite him.

Picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a big bite, he studied Dean as he chewed.

"I thought we've been through this before – the psychic mojo doesn't work on me, Sparky." said Dean after a second, without even looking up.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"You know I'm just crying with laughter on the inside, Dean. Why do you have to always make things difficult? You could try appreciating the fact I actually give a damn if you're ok."

Dean looked up at him.

"I'm thrilled you give a damn, Sam, really. I'd do a dance but I'm eating right now. And I don't make things difficult - I just don't need mothering. I'm the oldest, remember?"

"I do not 'mother'. And if you'd actually answer honestly I wouldn't have to push so much."

Dean gave up trying to read and sat back in his chair, looking frustrated.

"Could we possibly, just once, not have this conversation? Every time, Sam, every single time! It's just bruises ok? I promise you. Now could you please just give it a rest? I don't know about you but I've had a bad enough day as it is without getting into a fight."

Sam ran a hand through his hair and tried to calm down a little. He knew if Dean actually went as far as to promise something then he meant it. And he was right, they had had a bad day and going to bed on an argument wouldn't really help anything.

"Fine – I believe you." he said and Dean put his hand on his heart dramatically.

"Wow, you have no idea how much that means, Sammy. I'm touched, really."

"You said it." said Sam, dryly, and Dean nudged him with his foot under the table.

"Hilarious. Now if you're done with the show and tell do you think we could concentrate on what really matters? Like how we're going to stop psycho-chick before she kills anyone else. Namely us."

Sam frowned.

"We definitely need to get down into that gully and see if we can find the bones. Judging from what we saw tonight, at least we know she is definitely dead. Only a spirit could have moved like that."

Dean nodded.

"Oh yeah, she's definitely one creepy dead girl. With a seriously bad case of man hating going on. All she kept saying was 'you have to pay'. Sounded like she was in some bad horror movie."

"She must be replaying the whole thing with Rob in her mind. Making him pay for having an affair, albeit just in her head. I don't think we could even reason with her at this point." said Sam.

"Thank you, Jennifer Love Hewitt. I wasn't planning on making friends with her, I'd just soon as soon toast her bones and have done with it."

Sam ignored the dig and yawned suddenly. He stretched and then winced as his muscles protested the movement. Dean frowned.

"You sure you're ok?" he said.

"Yeah, fine. Just sitting awkwardly that's all." said Sam. Dean carried on looking at him assessingly though for a moment, before stifling his own yawn.

Sam stood up. "I don't know about you but I'm thinking sleep sounds good right now. You should take the bed tonight, it'll be easier on those bruises."

Dean was about to automatically protest when he remembered their conversation about not starting a fight and so, reluctantly, he nodded.

"If you insist. Just don't come crying to me in the morning because you spent the whole night with your legs dangling off the end of the couch." he said.

"I'll bear that in mind."

Grinning, Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder as he walked past him.

"Sleep tight, Sammy." he said.

"It's Sam."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sam muttered under his breath as he pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and rearranged the pillow. He waited a few minutes then walked silently through to the bedroom. Pushing the door open slightly he saw Dean sprawled out on the bed, already asleep.

Satisfied, he made his way back to the living room and turned out the light. Still able to see in the glow from the fire, he lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over himself. It wasn't the most comfortable place he'd ever slept but it was warm and dry which was an improvement on earlier.

He shifted slightly and grimaced as he leant on a tender spot. He was relieved to have got away without having to tell Dean he'd been caught in the water. No real harm had come of it and there was no point in his brother getting himself worked up over nothing.

He supposed it was a little ironic he was doing exactly what he accused Dean of before, but then the difference was he didn't have an ingrained martyr complex that made him ignore potentially life threatening injuries to take care of other people.

That particular trait was all Dean's.

Which was why it was perfectly acceptable for him to badger his brother into revealing everything, even when he didn't want to. It had saved Dean's life on more than one occasion and that was reason enough as far as Sam was concerned.

Finally finding a comfortable position, Sam felt himself starting to doze off. He just hoped they had more luck finding Jenna's final resting place tomorrow.

Because he really didn't want a repeat performance of the day they'd just had.


	7. Chapter 7

When Sam woke up it was to the smell of cooking. Opening his eyes he saw it was light and he stretched, pleased to feel only a slight crick in his neck from squeezing onto the sofa all night.

Sitting up he shivered a little as the blanket fell down. He grabbed a couple of logs as he walked past the fire, throwing them on the glowing embers and prodding them with the poker until the flames caught again.

When he got to the kitchen he saw Dean standing at the stove, doing something with a frying pan. A sudden image popped into his head of his brother in an apron and Sam quickly stifled his laughter.

Starting the day by putting Dean in a bad mood wasn't a good idea.

Sensing someone there Dean turned round, and grinned when he saw Sam.

"It's about time. Any later and this would have been lunch." he said with a smirk.

Sam glanced at the clock and saw that it was in fact only 7:30. Walking over to the coffee machine that was bubbling already, he grabbed two mugs and started to fill them.

"This from the man who didn't know there were two six o'clocks in one day. What's with the early rising stuff anyway? You're starting to freak me out you know." he said.

"Hey, I'm always a morning person." said Dean and Sam snorted.

"Yeah, right – in a parallel universe maybe." he said, putting Dean's coffee on the side next to him and leaning back against the sink while he sipped his own.

"Keep it up, Sammy and you're not getting any of these eggs." warned Dean and Sam adopted his best innocent expression.

Ever since they were kids Sam had always loved the way Dean cooked eggs. It wasn't something that happened very often now, given the fact most Motel's didn't have stoves, so he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity. Dean glanced at him and smirked at Sam's attempt to look angelic.

It was funny how much stuff stayed the same, no matter how old you got.

"Alright, don't hurt yourself. Pass me those plates, would you?" he said and Sam dutifully held them out as Dean split the now perfectly cooked eggs between the two. Adding the slices of toast he'd already grilled, Dean took one of the plates and picked up his coffee as he followed Sam back into the living room. Sitting down at the table, for once it was Sam who dived in first. Watching with an amused look Dean took a mouthful himself, actually chewing and swallowing this time before he spoke.

"So you think you can get us to this gully today? It looks like it's dry, for now at least."

Sam looked up.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can work out where it was from the Sheriff's description. We should head out after we've eaten, just in case it starts raining again later."

Dean nodded and they both quickly finished their food. Sam headed for the bathroom while Dean cleared up and less than thirty minutes later they were ready to go.

Sam took a deep breath as Dean shut the cabin door behind them.

"You can't beat the smell of the woods after it's been raining." he said, without thinking, then blushed slightly as Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Dude, you start hugging the trees, I'm leaving you here." he said.

"I was just saying." said Sam defensively, which only made Dean even more amused.

Quitting while he still had some dignity left, Sam walked towards the car. Dean couldn't help chuckling at the way his brother sat there glaring at him through the window as he walked round to get in the driver's side.

The roads were still very wet and there was more than a little debris from the previous night's storm, so Dean drove extremely carefully.

And only stopped complaining about the broken branches in the road damaging the car after Sam threatened to shoot him.

It took a little under thirty minutes to reach the spot where Sam thought Jenna's car had gone off the road. Parking the Impala in a lay-by a little further down, Dean switched off the engine and got out.

"So you're sure this is it?" he said looking around and Sam nodded.

"Pretty sure, yeah. The Sheriff said it was on the bend and looking at the map this is the only real one on this stretch of road."

Dean didn't look convinced.

"You know 'pretty sure' means we could be wasting our time sliding about in the mud for nothing."

Sam held his hands wide.

"You got a better idea, Dean?" he said.

"Alright, no need to get defensive, Sammy. I was just saying." said Dean, opening the trunk.

"I was not getting defensive."

"Sure you weren't."

Glaring at his brother Sam reached round him to grab a bag of salt and one of the boxes of matches from the trunk. He also picked up one of the shotguns, checking to make sure it was loaded. Dean did the same – they'd decided a while ago after getting separated while hunting a Wendigo that it was a good idea if they were _both _armed with the right equipment – and he also slung a coil of rope over his shoulder. Given how wet the roads were, it was pretty obvious the gully was going to be no picnic to get in and out of.

"All set?" he asked Sam and when he nodded Dean shut the trunk firmly. Checking the Impala was locked and relatively safe – and ignoring the smirk Sam was giving him – he headed towards the fence line, Sam following just behind him.

It was clear that one section of the fence was definitely newer than the others and with a quick glance to make sure no one was around they climbed over it. Dean walked to to the edge of the grass ledge and peered over.

"Well that looks fun."

Sam followed his gaze and felt his heart sink. The bank was practically at a 90 degree angle and even from there he could see the ground was wet and muddy. He looked at Dean resignedly.

"After you."

"Oh, _now _you want me to go first?" said Dean dryly, even though he had of course been going to anyway.

Bracing himself, he started to half slide, half stagger down the bank. Despite his best efforts he was soon picking up speed and he could hear Sam cursing behind him as he had the same problem. By the time they reached the bottom he'd slipped twice and was now covered in mud. As he finally slid to a stop, mostly by grabbing the nearest tree, he looked down at his ruined jeans and coat and shook his head disgustedly.

He looked up as Sam arrived next to him and saw his brother had the beginnings of a grin on his face as he surveyed Dean's new look.

"Do not even think about it, Sammy." Dean warned, and Sam immediately turned the chuckle that had been threatening to break out into a cough.

Ignoring his clearly amused brother, Dean looked round. There were no obvious signs of Jenna's bones and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Any bright ideas?" he said and Sam frowned.

"It was wetter on that night than it is now, so she can't have gone too far. We should start over here." he said, pointing to the left.

"Why the hell can't these people ever have the decency to be somewhere easy to get to, huh? Seriously, dude, we spend half our lives knee deep in mud." complained Dean as they pushed their way through the undergrowth.

Knowing Dean was venting, and therefore not requiring an actual answer, Sam concentrated on searching the ground for any signs of disturbance.

They'd been at it for about ten minutes when suddenly Sam spotted something.

"I think I got something!" he shouted and was rewarded with a whack on the shoulder.

"Dude, I'm right behind you and I'm not deaf." said Dean and Sam realised he might have been just a little overexcited about finding something at last.

Crouching down he pushed away the undergrowth and a skeleton came into view, leaning up against a tree.

"Think it's her?" said Dean and Sam looked up at him.

"No, I think this is someone else who happened to wander down here to die."

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Cute, Sam. I'm serious though, if this turns out to be some dumb ass hiker who got lost I don't want to have to come back down here to look for the right bones this time."

Conceding that Dean had a point, Sam looked around for any evidence that what they were looking at was in fact Jenna's remains.

"Here." he said suddenly, pulling something out from under the skeleton's hands.

Brushing off the dirt he handed it to Dean, who could just about make out it was a smaller copy of the photograph back at the cabin.

"Well, alright then. Lets get this over with before the bunny boiler shows up."

Sam stared at him and Dean opened his arms wide.

"What?"

"Bunny boiler? Any chance you could show a little respect, Dean?" said Sam and Dean snorted.

"She tried to drown me, Sam, muttering about 'he has to pay'. So I'm gonna go with 'no' on that one."

Knowing it was pointless to argue with Dean when he was in that kind of mood, Sam stood up and reached into his jacket for the salt. Dean pulled away as much of the plants as possible and Sam poured the salt on the now exposed bones.

Just as he was finishing Dean felt the first large raindrop hit his head. He looked up at the sky in disbelief, noticing the dark clouds that had appeared.

"Oh come on! You gotta be kidding me." he said and Sam looked up too, just as more raindrops joined the first.

"Come on, lets get her lit before the salt gets washed off." said Dean, pulling out his box of matches.

He struck the first one but it fizzled out almost instantly. Cursing, he was just trying to light a second one when Sam grabbed his arm.

"Dean."

"What?"

"We've got company."

Looking up Dean saw they were indeed no longer alone, just as they both heard the rasping whisper

"_He must pay."_

"Oh, great – this is gonna go well."


	8. Chapter 8

For a few seconds everyone froze, Dean and Sam tensed for whatever move Jenna was gonna make this time. She meanwhile seemed happy to just stand there, staring malevolently at them.

Sam glanced at Dean and then stepped forward slightly, ignoring the hissed 'Sam!' that he'd been fully expecting. He held his hands open to show her he wasn't going to do anything.

"Hey, Jenna. My name's Sam. Listen, we're just trying to help you." he said, certain he could actually feel Dean's look of disbelief behind him.

Jenna just looked at him and then, as quickly as she'd appeared, she vanished.

"Dammit." muttered Sam, turning round to face his brother who was looking less than pleased.

"We're just trying to help you? Dude, I swear no more 'Ghost Whisperer' for you. Did the whole she's trying to kill us thing not give you a clue she's not playing with a full deck?"

"Well it was worth a try." retorted Sam, looking round and trying to catch a glimpse of the spirit.

"No, what's worth a try is getting these damn bones to light." said Dean, turning his attention back to the matches again.

The now extremely damp matches.

After the third one fizzled out he swore and gave up. Shaking some of the rain out of his hair he turned to Sam, who was still scanning the woods around them.

"Hey - you got the lighter there, sparky?"

Sam turned round and winced.

"No, it's in the car – we were gonna refill it, remember?"

Dean closed his eyes.

"Perfect. I shoulda guessed. Alright, we need to try and get at least one of these lit before all the salt dissolves. Can you.."

Whatever Dean had been about to say was cut off as he suddenly felt something grab him round the throat and throw him through the air. Landing against the bank, hard, he felt all the air driven from his lungs.

"Dean!"

Sam cleared the distance between them in about half a second, his anxious face coming into view as he leaned over him.

"Why is it always me they throw first?" wheezed Dean, and Sam let out the breath he'd been holding. If Dean was able to ponder questions like that then clearly no real harm had been done.

"Must be cos you're easier to lift." sad Sam dryly and, still being a little low on air, Dean was forced to settle for glaring.

Sam put his hand out to help Dean up, but he waved it away.

"Just get those bones lit, Sam. I'll deal with Casper." said Dean, still wheezing slightly, and when Sam hesitated he gave him a none too gentle shove towards the bones.

Still not entirely happy with the plan, Sam had to admit they really needed to get rid of Jenna before she resorted to worse things than just throwing them around. He knelt next to the bones, wet enough that it didn't really matter anymore, and tried in vain to keep the matches dry enough to actually light.

Dean by now had managed to stagger to his feet and was looking round for the first sign of their not-so-friendly ghost. He didn't have long to wait.

Although he was a little more braced for it this time he still saw stars when his head bounced off the tree trunk he was now currently pinned against.

He saw Sam stand up and held up his hand to stop him coming over. Sam hesitated, torn between getting the job done and helping Dean, but in the end he stayed where he was, now more determined than ever to somehow get at least one of the matches to stay alight for more than half a second.

"Come on, come on!" he said under his breath, keeping one eye on what he was doing and one on his brother.

As Jenna shimmered into view in front of him, Dean gave her a cocky grin.

"Well it's about time." he said, wishing his voice didn't sound quite so breathless. He subtley flexed his muscles, even as he kept his gaze on her, but it was no use. She was keeping him firmly in place against the tree so he was gonna have to settle for trying to keep her distracted enough for Sam to finish the job.

She tilted her head, her face eerily blank as she stared at him.

"_He must pay."_

Dean rolled his eyes.

"Lady, you gotta stop with the creepy ass muttering. You do know that's a cliché, right?"

Sam turned his head long enough to glare at his brother.

Did Dean always have to try and piss off whatever was trying to kill them that week?

Ignoring Sam's telegraphed warning with years of practice, Dean managed a slight shrug.

"And by the way, if that's Rob you're talking about? He already did pay. You drowned him, remember?"

The spirit seemed to think about this for a second and Dean actually felt the force holding him weaken slightly. He shifted and was about to attempt moving when it increased again.

Gasping as this time his ribs were pushed against the tree, reminding him of all the bruises he still had from their last encounter and making breathing more difficult, he watched as Jenna came nearer to him.

"_He had to pay. All of you have to pay."_ she rasped and Dean wondered why they always ended up with the crazy ones.

"Look, you got issues – I get that. But you can't just go killing people. It's not polite." he managed to get out, deliberately not looking over to where Sam was despite wanting to know how much longer he was gonna have to keep this up.

_Just how long does it take to light a friggin match? _he thought, aware he was going to end up with some cracked ribs pretty soon if Jenna didn't ease up on the pressure.

Jenna said nothing but just as suddenly as he'd been pinned he was released, dropping to the ground with a grunt. Whatever relief he felt at being free was shortlived as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Well honed reflexes were all that saved him from a branch to the side of his head as he ducked and was showered with bark when it crashed into the tree behind him.

"Oh good, now we've moved onto the throwing." he muttered, rolling to one side and standing up.

He watched Jenna warily, trying to keep an eye on Sam at the same time.

_Now. Now would be good with the fire._ he thought, wishing that just once a supposedly simple job really could be that straightforward.

As if reading his mind, Jenna's gaze flicked towards Sam and Dean saw a large branch lift off the ground and waver for a second before hurtling towards his brother.

"Sam – down!" he yelled and Sam dropped to the ground without even hesitating. As the branch shattered where his head had been seconds before, Sam rolled to one side and partly hid behind the tree the bones were leaning against.

Dean looked relieved and stepped a little closer to Jenna, wanting to draw her attention away from Sam.

"Hey, I thought we were talking." he said and she turned back to face him. "You were about to tell me why we all have to pay?"

She moved, faster than his eyes could track, and stopped directly in front of him. He forced himself not to flinch as she stared at him with blank eyes.

"_You should have drowned." _

Dean shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint, lady, but I'm not that easy to kill."

Over on the other side of the clearing Sam winced and made a mental note to remind Dean not to tempt fate when he was dealing with a homicidal spirit.

Predictably the spirit was not amused by Dean's boast and they were both forced to duck behind the nearest tree again as a strong wind suddenly whirled all around them and several branches and other debris were aimed in their directions.

"Nice move pissing her off there, Dean." muttered Sam, just loud enough for his brother to hear. Now the rain was blowing at him horizontally there was even less chance the matches were gonna light.

"How is it she's doing the tornado impression and I get the blame?" said Dean indignantly, raising his voice above the howling of the unnatural wind.

Before Sam could reply Jenna materialised in front of Dean again and he couldn't stop himself jumping.

"I really hate when they do that." he said under his breath, waiting for next creepy sentence he was certain was on its way.

"_You should have drowned."_

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, you already mentioned that part. Short term memory not so good there, huh?"

"_You should both have drowned. Now you must die." _

"Well, I'm all for dedication but you really need to – wait, what did you say?" said Dean, frowning as her words sank in. Across the clearing Sam froze.

"_Oh crap_." he thought.

"_I had you both but you got away. You won't get away this time."_

Dean stared past her now, fixing Sam with a glare.

"What does she mean we should both have drowned?" he shouted and Sam concentrated on the matches, avoiding meeting Dean's gaze.

"Sam!"

Ok, his brother was definitely working himself up. Sam was distracted briefly as a medium sized rock bounced off his shoulder with enough force there would definitely be a bruise. He tried to get further behind the tree and finally looked at Dean, an exasperated expression on his face.

"You really think now is the time to do this?" he called and Dean dodged a well aimed branch before answering.

"Yes, I think now is the time to do this! You happen to forget to mention you were in the water too?"

Sam swallowed, knowing Dean wasn't about to let this drop anytime soon. He cursed the fact they hadn't managed to get rid of Jenna before she'd been able to helpfully point out that she'd tried to kill both of them and not just Dean.

"Look, it was no big deal, ok? I was barely in the water five minutes." he called.

Which wasn't technically a lie as he wasn't really sure exactly how long it had been, since he'd been unconscious. But he figured it couldn't have been that long, otherwise he really would have drowned.

"Oh well, that's alright then!" retorted Dean and Sam unfortunately knew that definitely wasn't a genuine statement.

"Dude, seriously – we got bigger issues right now!" he called back, partly to distract Dean and partly because it was true. It seemed like Jenna was currently trying to throw the whole forest at them.

"Don't think I'm gonna just forget this, Sam!" said Dean, acknowledging that he did have a point. The whole duck and weave thing was beginning to grate on his nerves now.

Unfortunately at that moment he weaved instead of ducking and a large piece of tree struck him right on the side of his head. He dropped like a stone, still concious but seeing nothing but sparkly lights in front of his eyes.

"Dean!"

Sam saw his brother go down and felt his stomach clench. Knowing he'd do neither of them any good running over there, however hard it was not to, he turned his back to the clearing and tried to shelter the matches enough with his own body for one of them to light.

They were so adding a flame thrower to their kit after this.

It was his turn to jump this time as Jenna's spirit shimmered into being in front of him. He moved back a little, unable to go any further thanks to the tree he was up against, and forced himself to meet her empty gaze.

"Listen, we just want to help you move on. You can't stay here, not like this. You can't keep hurting people." he said, aware it was probably pointless trying to reason with her at this stage. She'd been exacting vengeance for so long he doubted there was anything of the original Jenna left in her.

"_He betrayed me. We were supposed to be together forever."_

Sam actually felt almost sorry for her. Almost. The fact he still didn't know how badly Dean had been hurt across the clearing and that she was responsible took away most of the sympathy he may have felt.

"He didn't betray you, Jenna. Rob never betrayed you. You weren't thinking straight, because of the accident. He was just trying to take care of you, remember?"

She actually looked slightly confused for a moment, as if trying to remember. It was enough for the wind to drop suddenly and Sam took advantage of the lull to try one last time with three of the matches from the bottom of the box. He saw them spark and without hesitating he turned round and dropped them on the bones. They flickered for a second and his heart sank as he wondered if the rain had washed away all the salt and kerosene by this point, but for once fate gave them a break and almost instantly there was a flare and the flames caught.

Jenna shrieked and the wind picked up again but this time all it did was fan the flames. Her shriek became louder and more high pitched, and Sam flinched. He always hated this part of the salt and burn, even though the spirit they were dispatching was always one of the bad guys. It didn't make it any easier on the occasions they were right in front of you.

As the flames consumed the entire skeleton, forcing Sam to scramble backwards in case the tree caught as well, Jenna shimmered once and finally disappeared in a flash of fire.

Sam let out a sigh of relief, watching as the fire fizzed where the rain was coming into contact with it. Even in the wet conditions with the salt and the kerosene it should at least burn long enough to get rid of all the bones.

He hoped.

Finally free to focus his attention on Dean, Sam staggered to his feet and ran over to him, sliding in the mud as he went.

"Dean!" he said, his heart in his mouth as he knelt next to his prone brother.

"Dude, could you not yell? I think she hit me with a tree."

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief and reached out to check the side of Dean's head where the blood was mixing with the rainwater running down his face.

As Sam's fingers came into contact with the spot where the branch had hit, Dean winced and batted his hand away.

"Hey, it hurts enough without you poking it!" he said and Sam shook his head.

"I'm not poking it I'm trying to make sure she didn't crack your skull. Could you keep still for five seconds?" he said as Dean tried to sit up.

"Yeah, cos lying here in the mud is so much fun. If you wanna be useful how about helping me up?"

Sam sighed but got to his feet and reached down to help Dean stand. Apart from swaying slightly for a second Dean seemed fairly steady on his feet considering, and Sam backed away a step, knowing how well Dean reacted to any kind of 'hovering' as he insisted on putting it.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck and looked across at the flames that were now dying down.

"Please tell me we got her finally?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, she's gone."

"Thank god." he said fervently. Now the stars were finally starting to fade his last conversation with the spirit came back to him and his gaze narrowed as he looked at his brother accusingly.

"Well now that's done, you wanna fill me in on why you neglected to mention your little dip in the water?"

Sam swallowed. "I didn't mention it cos it was no big deal and I knew you'd only worry." he said and Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Right, so I don't mention something and it's a bad thing but when you do it, it's for my own good? How is that fair?"

"Because I don't keep things like potentially life threatening injuries a secret, that's why." said Sam and Dean had the good grace to look at least slightly uncomfortable at that.

"Don't exaggerate, and stop trying to get out of it. I asked you what happened after I got swept away and all you said was you'd been looking for me."

"Which I had." interrupted Sam "And could we seriously not talk about this in the car? You know, where it's warm and dry. Unlike here."

"Stop trying to change the subject." said Dean, and Sam ran his hands through his wet hair exasperatedly.

"Dean, would you just let it go, man? I'm fine, the job's done, and we're both still standing. Although we really need to get that cut seen to." he said, fishing a fairly clean handkerchief out of his pocket and pressing it against the side of Dean's head.

Dean grabbed hold of it himself irritatedly, pushing Sam's hand away.

"It still doesn't change the fact you lied, Sammy." he said and Sam rolled his eyes.

"I did not lie. I just didn't mention it."

Dean shook his head, a move that didn't really improve his banging headache any.

"You know as well as I do Dad made it perfectly clear lying by omission still counts."

Sam did indeed remember the lecture they'd received after neglecting to mention they'd both been hurt on their first hunt alone. When John had seen the state of them at the rendezvous point two days later he'd been less than impressed.

"For the record it was your idea not to tell Dad all the details back then. And anyway, we're not exactly kids anymore, Dean. I can manage to take care of myself without needing you to hold my hand."

"Good, cos I wasn't offering, Samantha. This isn't about hand holding and you know it." said Dean firmly and Sam sighed.

"Alright, I get it – you want to know all the details. But you were the one who got swept away by the water and you were in it far longer than me. And since you insisted _you _were fine then obviously it was no big deal what happened with me. Right?"

Dean glared at him as he realised he'd just been outmanoeuvred by his own words. Try as he might there was no way out of the corner Sam had just put him in. And judging by the smug look on his brother's face, he was well aware of that.

"You know you're right, you would have made a good lawyer." Dean muttered and Sam grinned.

"Thanks."

"It wasn't a compliment."

Ignoring the jibe, Sam turned his attention to how they were going to make it back up to the car.

"That looks like it's gonna be fun." he said, gesturing towards the bank which was now even wetter than it had been on the way down.

Grudgingly putting aside the whole issue of Sam being economical with the truth earlier – for now - Dean stepped up beside him and surveyed the steep climb with a frown.

"Personally I don't care how we manage it, I am not spending a minute longer down here than we have to. I swear I feel like I'm never gonna be dry again." he said firmly, already able to feel that the water had soaked all the way through his clothes.

Again.

Sam frowned and went over to where the rope lay on the ground, deliberately ignoring the still smouldering bones.

"If we can get this round that tree up there we can pull ourselves up and scramble the rest of the way." he said, as he walked back over.

"That's a great plan, Sam, except last time I checked neither of us was Clint Eastwood. Unless you got a secret talent for lassoing you've been keeping secret all these years?"

"It's not that far. It can't be too hard." said Sam, trying to sound more confident than he was.

Dean shook his head and folded his arms.

"Alright - away you go, cowboy." he said with a slight smirk and Sam found himself regretting his bold statement already.

If he didn't manage this Dean was never going to let him forget it.

Concentrating, he tied a loop carefully in the end of the rope and backed up a little to give himself more room to manoeuvre. He sensed Dean move to one side, probably not keen on the idea of getting smacked in the face with wet rope, and he narrowed his gaze as he tried to judge how far away the tree was.

They'd watched enough Westerns in the past – Dean being a fan – that he knew theoretically how it _should _work. He just hoped it hadn't always been a case of camera trickery.

His first attempt was close but not close enough. Pausing only to glare at Dean for the snigger-turned-cough he'd heard, he took a deep breath and tried again. This time his luck was in and he looked triumphant as the loop landed round the tree perfectly. Pulling the rope so it was now taught he turned round and saw Dean watching him with an expression that was part amusement and part pride.

Quickly wiping the look off his face before Sam could comment on it, Dean stepped forward and nudged him with his shoulder.

"Not bad, Sammy." he said and Sam couldn't stop himself grinning. Knowing Dean would insist on going first he handed over the rope without even arguing and stepped back as Dean gave the rope a couple of hard tugs, just in case. Satisfied it was not about to come loose he braced his feet against the bank and began pulling himself up.

There were a couple of hairy moments when his boots couldn't find a hold in the thick mud and threatened to send him face first into it, but he somehow managed to keep his balance and once he was past the tree it was relatively easy to stagger up the final few yards.

Leaning against the fence to get his breath back, and surreptitiously rubbing the bruises that hadn't appreciated the extra work out, he watched as Sam followed him. As he neared the top Dean grabbed hold of the fence with one hand and held out the other for Sam to take. Helping him up the rest of the way Dean let go as soon as Sam was level with him and grinned.

"Well, that actually wasn't a bad plan. I'm impressed." he said, only partly teasing.

"How about being impressed inside the car where it's actually dry?" said Sam, ducking under the fence to get back on the road.

Annoyingly – although predictably – Dean made him stand there in the rain for a further few minutes while he dug out some towels from the trunk to protect the Impala's seats before either of them could get in. Finally satisfied his baby was protected from the mud that covered both of them, Dean slid into the driver's seat and switched on the ignition. Turning the heaters up full blast he pulled out and headed towards the cabin.

Sam felt even more uneasy about being there now Jenna was gone for good but he couldn't argue with the fact it was the nearest place that was both warm and dry, and neither of them would be able to check them into a Motel without attracting more attention than they needed, looking like they did.

Once inside Dean insisted on Sam using the bathroom first and while he waited his turn he set about re-lighting the fire that had gone out completely this time. As he stood in front of it, waiting for the flames to get hot enough to actually provide some warmth, he stared at the photograph of Rob and Jenna on the mantle.

For all that he told Sam he didn't think too much about that stuff, the truth was he was not exactly immune to the tragedy of the situation either. He just tried not to think about it although on occasion, like right now, it was hard not to. He might have carried a grudge against Jenna's spirit for what she'd put them through the last couple of days but when you got right back down to it, it hadn't been entirely her fault. He could well imagine how she must have felt when she'd realised she'd killed the person she cared most about in the world and it was understandable in a way that such anguish would create an unstable spirit.

Tearing his glance away from the photograph he poked the fire with more force than was really necessary, trying to shake off the mood. He looked up as Sam came out of the bathroom, dressed in dry clothes now and towelling off his hair.

"All yours." he said and Dean cleared the space between him and the bathroom in about three strides, more than keen to get rid of the mud and god knows what else that he was currently covered in.

By the time he came out Sam had made coffee and he accepted a cup gratefully, wrapping his hands round the mug to savour the warmth. Even after the hot bath it still felt like he was never going to be properly warm again.

Sitting down on one of the chairs he saw Sam frowning at him and looked down at himself, in case he'd buttoned up his shirt wrong or something.

"What?" he said.

"I don't think that's gonna need stitches but you should put some antiseptic on it." said Sam, and Dean realised he was referring to the gash on his temple from where Jenna had thrown the branch at him. He'd already come to that conclusion himself once he'd washed the dried blood away but he nodded anyway, humouring his brother.

"Yeah, I know."

"Anything else that should be checked out?" said Sam, trying to appear nonchalant and Dean almost grinned. It had to hurt, the amount of effort Sam was putting into that.

"No. Like I said, it's just bruises. What about you? Since we're being so honest about everything?" he said, stressing the word 'honest'.

"No, I'm fine." said Sam truthfully and Dean studied him for a second before seeming to accept the answer.

"Well in that case I guess we can call this one of our more successful jobs." he said and Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah, cos it was a total walk in the park." he said dryly and Dean shrugged as he sipped his coffee.

"Compared to some of 'em it was."

Sam had to admit Dean unfortunately had a point there and wondered briefly what it must be like to have a job where getting half drowned and thrown around by a spirit wasn't considered one of your better days.

"So, what now?" he asked after a moment and Dean leant back against his chair.

"I don't know. We should probably clear out of here now, we don't really want to risk getting spotted after getting this far."

"Ok. I think we should take a few days before the next job though. At least until some of those bruises of yours have eased a bit."

Dean figured it was not worth fighting about a few days so he just shook his head but didn't object, and Sam looked pleased.

Having finished their coffee Sam cleared up in the kitchen while Dean gathered their things and loaded the Impala. Satisfied that the cabin was actually cleaner than they'd found it, Sam followed Dean out and closed the door firmly behind them. As Dean reversed the car out Sam took one final look at the place.

"You think she's really at peace now?" he said and Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Leave it to his brother to always worry about stuff like that.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's leaping through the meadows all happy and smiley, Sam."

Sam gave him a disapproving look.

"I'm serious, Dean. I know what she was doing was wrong, and it doesn't help those guys she killed, but she wasn't really evil. Not to begin with."

Dean sighed and wished that just sometimes Sam would just let this stuff go.

"I never said she was evil, I said she was psychotic. And honestly? You know how I feel about all this afterlife business so I'm probably the wrong person to ask."

Sam had to admit, reluctantly, that Dean had a point on that score. Watching the trees pass by for a moment he jumped a little when Dean spoke again.

"I guess I can understand why she killed herself though."

Sam turned to look at him.

Dean was still watching the road and Sam wondered if he realised he'd spoken out loud until he saw Dean's gaze flick his way briefly.

"What do you mean?" he asked when nothing else was forthcoming and Dean shifted a little, as if regretting saying anything.

"I just mean it makes sense. She killed Rob, right? You kill the person you care about most in the world, no way you're gonna just carry on."

Sam felt his stomach flip as he realised what Dean was referring to.

"Dean." he began but Dean had clearly said more than he wanted to and he sat up straighter, reaching out and flicking on the radio.

As the music cut off the conversation Sam still continued to look at Dean, realising possibly for the first time the full implications of what he'd been asking his brother to do for the last few weeks.

He'd been so caught up in the idea of turning evil that he hadn't stopped to consider the bigger picture. Now he did he felt guilty, but the harsh truth was he still needed Dean to keep that promise. Because as heartbreaking as it was to think about what he'd be putting him through, the idea of what he could become – of what he might do – was even worse.

He sighed and turned his gaze back to the passing scenery. When it came down to it they were in a no win situation. He guessed all he could do was hope that maybe they really could come up with a way to change his destiny.

For both their sakes.


End file.
